Two astronauts are inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame

“All of our spacecraft are designed for two people; the machines are not designed to be comfortable for three people,” Akers told collectSPACE. “This was a special situation where we could not find the Intelsat VI barrier, and the ground (administrators) and our team came up with the idea of ​​three people coming out.

Brian Duffy (right) inducts Tom Akers into the US Astronaut Hall of Fame at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida on Saturday, May 16, 2026.

Credit: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

Akers and Tanner both flew space shuttles to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), carefully maneuvering the optical instruments in the highly confined space. Tanner also helped assemble the main dorsal wing and sun wing of the International Space Station (ISS).

“I’m often asked what the difference is between the ISS and the HST EVA (exercises), and I think it’s hands-on and total effort,” Tanner said. “Hands-on performance was very important for HST, and for ISS, you’re moving around big beautiful, heavy objects and driving them over long distances.

In all, Akers spent about 30 hours of his nearly 34 days in space piloting space shuttles. Tanner logged 43 days, including 46 and a half hours on EVAs.

Joining groups

Saturday’s ceremony was moderated by news reporter John Zarella and included remarks by Curt Brown, chairman of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, which oversees the nomination and selection process each year; Therrin Protze, director of operations at the visitor center; and Kelvin Manning, deputy director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

“Today Tom Akers and Joe Tanner honor two astronauts whose careers encompass excellence, leadership, and service,” said Brown, who served as a NASA astronaut in the same class as Akers and flew with Tanner on Atlantis. “Their enduring contributions to NASA, as well as their continued work as educators and mentors, reflect the best of the US space program.”

Joe Tanner (left) is inducted into the US Astronaut Hall of Fame with his STS-115 pilot Chris Ferguson at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, May 16, 2026.

Credit: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

“We are proud to welcome them to the US Astronaut Hall of Fame,” said Brown, who is a member of the class of 2013.

Brian Duffy, class of 2016he introduced Akers, and presented him with a Hall of Fame medal. Chris Ferguson, who flew as a pilot Tanner’s final mission, STS-115and who he was it was launched in 2022he honored his old shipmate in the same way. About 20 former NASA astronauts, including 15 other members of the Hall of Fame, attended the event.

The ceremony also included the unveiling of mirrored images and mission patches, which will later be hung along with 111 other posters representing the carriers. Founded in 1990, the US Astronaut Hall of Fame has been a Heroes & Legends features are attractive at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex since 2016.